In this edition of the NBA PM: Allen Iverson is back…Bill Walton retires…Juan Dixon is in Greece…Options not picked up…Players of the Week: Melo and Dwight…HOOPSWORLD chats.

Iverson Will Play: Finally. It's been a long time coming, but Allen Iverson tweeted earlier today that he was ready to go and will suit up tonight for the Memphis Grizzlies for the first time.

"The day that I return to the court has arrived!" wrote Iverson. "I am ready to help my team win at the game that we love!

"I will play tonight against the Sacramento Kings! Stay Tuned."

Iverson has been recovering from a partially torn hamstring. He has been competing fully in practices for the past few days, but team wanted his strength and conditioning to improve a bit before allow him to play.

It will be interesting to see what role Coach Lionel Hollins carves out for Iverson. Will he start? Will he come off the bench? Reserve point guard Marcus Williams has been averaging 16.0 points in the first three games – will he stay in the rotation? Will Mike Conley keep his 32.7 minutes a game? Will O.J. Mayo's 36.0 minutes per game go down?

It should be interesting – and many will be watching to see how it works out.

Bill Walton Retires: First reported by John Ourand of the Sports Business Daily and here courtesy of The Big Lead, Bill Walton is retiring from TV work. The NBA Hall of Famer is citing ongoing back problems as the reason.

I'll be honest – I wasn't a huge fan of Walton's analyst style, but he sure was entertaining. Whether you enjoyed that style or were turned off by it, watching NBA games will be a little different without his voice calling them. Good luck in whatever comes next Big Man.

Where is Juan Dixon? Juan Dixon, the 6-3 shooting guard who played last season for the Washington Wizards, will play this year for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece according to George Manousidis on Eurobasket.com.

Dixon was in training camp with the Atlanta Hawks this fall, but was ultimately cut.

"It was a difficult decision to come for the first time [to] Europe, after 7 years in the NBA," said Dixon in a statement. "At the start of the season I participated in Atlanta Hawks preseason camp, I was free and what I thought was the best choice for my family. After much thought, I accepted the proposal of Aris Thessaloniki. I think I made an excellent choice."

Dixon has known new Aris teammate Aaron Miles for awhile, and Miles convinced him signing in Greece would be a good idea.

"I talked to Aaron and told me many things about the team and the city," said Dixon. "We have known for many years and look forward to find ourselves as teammates on the field. I think I come in a great environment. I know that supporters of Aris Thessaloniki [are a] very enthusiastic and supportive group. I also know that the club has a long history. I hope I play well enough to become part of the history of Aris Thessaloniki."

Dixon scored 5.2 points and dished 2.4 assists a game last year for the Wizards, starting six games. For his career – he has played for Washington twice as well as Portland, Detroit and Toronto – Dixon has career averages of 8.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 34% shooting from three-point range.

Options Not Picked Up: Here is the final look at options that have not been picked up.

Boston – J.R. Giddens
Golden State – Acie Law
Milwaukee – Joe Alexander
Minnesota – Oleksiy Pecherov
New Jersey –Sean Williams
Phoenix –Alando Tucker
San Antonio – Ian Mahinmi
Washington –Javaris Crittenton

Teams have until midnight Eastern time tonight to make decisions; Minny was the last team to make some decisions, exercising the 2010-11 options on Kevin Love and Corey Brewer this afternoon (reported at 3pm Eastern by Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on Twitter). Milwaukee, New Jersey, Phoenix, and Washington are all assured in their decisions not to exercise those options. San Antonio, Boston, and Golden State likely are as well.

Note – the Pistons apparently picked up point guard Rodney Stuckey's fourth-year option over the summer, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. We had missed that in earlier postings in this section.

Players of the Week: Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively. Here is the full press release from the NBA.

The Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard and the Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Tuesday, Oct. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 1.

Howard led the Magic to a 3-0 week, including two road wins, averaging 21.7 points, 16.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. The 6-11 center posted point-rebound double-doubles in all three of Orlando's games, including a 20-point, 22-rebound performance on Oct. 30 at New Jersey. Behind the league's leading rebounder, the Magic is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1993-94.

Anthony led the Nuggets to a 3-0 week, averaging a league-best 37.7 points on .536 shooting from the field and .429 shooting from distance, to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Anthony opened the season with a 30-point effort in a home win over Utah, and followed it up with back-to-back 40-point efforts in wins over the Trail Blazers and Grizzlies.

Here is a recap of the week for Howard and Anthony:

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Oct. 28 vs. Philadelphia: Recorded 21 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks in a 120-106 win over the 76ers.
Oct. 30 @ New Jersey: Tallied 20 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks in a 95-85 win over the Nets.
Nov. 1 @ Toronto: Scored 24 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a 125-116 win over the Raptors.

Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
Oct. 28 vs. Utah: Tallied 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in a 114-105 win over the Jazz.
Oct. 29 @ Portland: Posted 41 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 97-94 Nuggets win over the Trail Blazers.
Nov. 1 vs. Memphis: Scored 42 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists in a 133-123 win over the Grizzlies.

Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Boston's Paul Pierce, Cleveland's LeBron James, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Houston's Trevor Ariza, Miami's Jermaine O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, Phoenix's Steve Nash, Portland's Brandon Roy and Toronto's Chris Bosh.

HOOPSWORLD Chats: Alex Raskin, based in NYC area, is up next on the chat schedule here at HOOPSWORLD Tuesday at 10am Eastern Time. Luke Byrnes follows up at 1pm Eastern Time. What stands out so far this season? What is surprising? Who needs a trade already? Remember - get your questions in early for the best shot at getting them answered! For all the complete chat wraps, click here!

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